Sett's Chronicles
by SSBM Master
Summary: CHAPTER 5 IS UP In the world, where Miasma has conumed nearly everything, The small town of Tipa has to choose their next band of heroes to gather Myrrh. This is just a story of FFCC. I put a lot of thought into the characters so I hope you enjoy
1. Chapter 1: The three potentials

Well, after what I believe is a two-year absence, SSBM Master is back with a brand new story. I would also like to point out that if I happen to type something that is obviously wrong, Its because I'm an idiot. Please don't flame me for it too much. Also, looking back over the last story I wrote, I realised that some of the things I typed in these spaces supported the whole idiot thing so I'll try to tone that down a bit too.   
  
I don't own anything from FF:CC. Just this story.   
  
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Chapter 1: The three potentials  
  
The pink goblin struck again. Sett raised the crude wooden shield to absorb the blow. The Goblin's aim was thrown way off, causing it to overbalance. Sett, seizing the opportunity jabbed at its ribs drawing blood and quickly retreated a few paces back. He didn't want to have to explain any fresh scars to anyone in his home village of Tipa the next morning.   
  
The Goblin screamed when Sett's sword had struck. It flailed its arms madly in an attempt to strike the young Clavat who had just stabbed him but Sett had had enough sense in him to back off out of the Goblins reach. Sett had very little sympathy for the monsters that lived in the Miasma but he didn't like the idea of letting this Goblin bleed to death so he waited a few moments for the goblin to tire from is barrage of attacks before running at it, shield raised. The force of his blow knocked the goblin off its feet and before it could make another move, Sett had delivered a fatal blow, thrusting his sword straight into its gut. The goblin breathed it's last foul smelling breath, and died.   
  
Sett took his blade out of the goblin, hesitated then bent down to search the creatures pockets. Monsters that resided in Miasma often kept bits of treasure for reasons no one really knew. Sett supposed that they just liked shiny objects and picked up what they liked. Sure enough, he found a few gold coins which added up to 3 gil. It wasn't very much but Sett pocketed it anyway. He looked down at his blade. It was covered in the goblins blood. It was a lot darker than his blood, which was probably why the goblin had such a deep pinkish-purple skin colour. He moved to wash it off in a nearby stream when someone spoke behind him.  
  
"That was very un-Clavatian of you Sett." Sett jumped and spun round. Standing behind him was Tipas elder. He was a very old man with a long beared and he had a deeply disapproving look on his face. "The creature you slew was a soulless killer who would have shown no mercy to any of us but it was not your place to draw it to you like that." Sett nodded guiltily. He was hoping to be able to tell the elder that the goblin had attacked him first but he was half glad that he didn't have to lie. He had in fact beckoned the monster into coming within reach of the towns crystal so that he could get some real training done. Sparring with wooden swords just wasn't the same as fighting for your life.   
  
"I just wanted some practice against a monster so I could be sure I was ready…" he hesitated "In case I was one of the people chosen to gather Myrrh." The elder sighed.  
  
"Please do not try to convince me that this is a rare activity for you." He said "I am fully aware that you come here every few evenings to engage in combat." Sett nodded again. You couldn't put anything past the old man. He was about to apologise when he saw that the elder was smiling. "Do not worry. Although officially I am outraged at your behaviour, I am also happy to see that at least one of our caravaners is an experienced and, I must also say, a skilled fighter." Sett grinned.  
  
"Does that mean I've been chosen?" he asked. The elder had chosen the men and women who were going to collect Myrrh and they were to be announced at a ceremony tomorrow. The old man winked and tapped his nose. He turned and walked away. Sett hastily wiped his sword on the grass and ran to catch up so that he could press the subject. Before he could speak, the elder said,  
  
"I am surprised that you do not bring your young friend Tim." Tim was a Lilty and had been Sett's best friend since they were very young. Like all Liltys, he was very enthusiastic when it came to combat and nearly always wore a steel visor. His weapon of choice was a large axe which looked too big for him but he could handle is fairly well and was at least as good a fighter as Sett was. However Sett didn't bring Tim to his Monster baiting evenings. He preferred to fight alone. He shrugged and the elder chuckled. "Your behaviour never ceases to surprise me young man." He said. Sett groaned quietly. He knew what was coming. "Sneaking out of Tipa to fight monsters. It's not something I would expect of a Clavat, even one of your age. I would find it far more likely had you been…"  
  
"a Selkie." Sett finished for him. He knew what the elder had been about to say because it wasn't the first time he had been compared to the Selkie tribe. Clavats and Selkies were very similar, but that was only in appearance. Selkies were usually taller and lighter than Clavats making them far more agile and athletic. However this also meant that they could not deliver blows as powerfully as Clavats could in combat. The most noticeable difference between the two tribes was their behaviour. Clavats were generally peaceful and disliked confrontation. Selkies on the other hand were far more brash and usually only looked out for number 1. Young Selkies, particularly young males displayed these qualities far more obviously.   
  
Sett had nothing against Selkies but he didn't like the idea of people thinking of him like that. Though he had to admit they had a point. After all, what kind of Clavat coaxes Goblins and other monsters out of the Miasma so that they can slay them. However, he wasn't nearly as bad as some of the Selkies of Tipa. He was referring to a group of young boys who liked to vandalise a garden or bully children every now and then. Most of the Selkies in Tipa were very nice people but it was groups like these young boys that gave Selkies a bad name.  
  
He had once tried to stop them from stealing food from the market and, although his actions had alerted the shopkeeper, he had revived a black eye from the Selkie gang.. Another of his actions that had made him "Un-Clavatin" as the elder had put it.   
  
"Did you know," the elder continued as they made their way into town, "that for a long time when you were young, your parents seriously wondered whether one of your great aunts or uncles was a Selkie."  
  
"I never knew Selkies and Clavats could get married." Said Sett surprised.  
  
"That is because it is very rare." The elder said. "Inter-racial relationships between Clavats and Selkies are not unheard of because of their physical similarities but because of their different behaviour, these relationships almost never work out." They had arrived at Sett's house. The elder bid Sett a good evening before leaving for his own home. Sett crept through the door and up the stairs silently making no noise whatsoever. With all the night time trips to the edge of town, he had become pretty good at sneaking in and out of the house. Perhaps there was Selkie blood somewhere in his veins after all!  
  
He made it to his room without waking anyone and laid his shield down on the floor. He looked at his sword again. He had done a very sloppy job of cleaning it as there were still a lot of bloodstains on it. He could still see his reflection though. He had short brown hair, which he just let grow naturally, and wore red and white clothes. He gave a yawn and put the sword down. He slid into bed and dreamt about travelling the world with Tim collecting Myrrh.  
  
"You look bloody awful" Tim said as Sett came out to meet him. Sett gave him a swift but harmless kick. Tim avoided it. Sett would normally have elbowed him in the ribs but doing that to a Lilty was awkward as they weren't much more than a few feet high. "Didn't wake you did I?" he asked, feigning concern.  
  
"As a matter of fact you did," grumbled Sett, rubbing his eye. "I hope you realise that any time you call for me in the morning when I'm asleep, it gives my little brother the chance to jump on me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because mum sends him up to wake me." Tim laughed.  
  
"You must have had a late night if your sleeping this late." He said "It's a good thing I came to wake you or you would have slept right through the ceremony." Sett stopped rubbing his eye. With a slight hint of panic in his voice, he said,  
  
"When is the ceremony?"  
  
"In five hours." Tim jumped to avoid another kick. "What's the matter" he said, grinning "I thought you may want to get some training in before your big disappointment. I mean, I know I'M a dead cert to become one of the next caravaners, but…you…well you may need to try and grab the elders attention if you want a chance of joining me. Don't worry," he winked "I'll let you hit me a few times so it looks like your only just capable of holding your own."  
  
"Oh shut up you sorry excuse for an onion!" Tim laughed again, not insulted in the slightest. He had only been joking before. The fact was that they knew they were both the most obvious choices for the journey. They always had sparring matches in the town square with wooden weapons and were easily the most experienced fighters in their age bracket. Sett was Seventeen and Tim was Sixteen. Sett was probably a bit more experienced than Tim because of all the solo fights he had at night, one of the reasons he didn't bring Tim along.  
  
"You boys aren't fighting again are you?" came a voice from behind Tim. Tim turned and saw Lillian behind him. Lillian was another Lilty and Tim's girlfriend. They had been together for a good few years now. When they first got together, Tim had spent a lot of time with her and less with Sett. This had made him jealous and he had often teased Tim about having a girlfriend but Sett had grown up and was now as good friends with Lillian as he was with Tim.  
  
"Hello Lil," Tim said. Sett had noticed that Tim became far more mature when he was around Lillian even though she knew him well enough to know what he was really like. Sett had a hard time telling Lilties he didn't know apart from each other but that had never been a problem with Tim or Lillian as Tim had his steel visor and Lillian always wore a red bandage with holes in so she could see around her eyes.  
  
"Don't let me interrupt you," she said smiling.  
  
"We were just getting psyched up for this afternoon." Said Tim "Just think, this time next week, the three of us will be on the road, fighting monsters and collecting Myrrh." Sett noticed a slight look of unease come across Lillian's face. Lillian had often said that if she went she would find it hard to cope without her family. They all would of course, but Lillian seemed most upset about the prospect of leaving them behind.  
  
On the other hand, Lillian would be a valuable partner on the trip. She didn't enjoy fighting hand to hand as much as Sett and Tim but she had become quite talented with spells and magic particularly cure.  
  
"….that's providing, of course" Tim continued "That our tall friend here can squeeze his way into the finalists."  
  
"For your information Timothy," Sett said "I just happen to be the only one of us that is guaranteed for a place in the caravan." That got the Lilties attention   
  
"How can you possibly know that?"  
  
"Well, last night I met the elder and he…well he let it slip." But Tim wasn't buying that.   
  
"Come off it, you really expect me to believe that the elder just 'let it slip?'" he said "If he told you, its because he wanted to tell you." Tim certainly had a point there. The elder was very old but he was also very sharp. It was hard to catch him off his guard and it was rumoured that in his prime, he was one of the greatest caravaners of his time.  
  
"Now that you mention it, he didn't seem sorry about telling me." Sett pondered. "Maybe he did mean to tell me."  
  
"Well if he did," Lillian said sounding shocked "I mean that's terrible, caravaners cant know who they are until the ceremony. It's traditi…" she was interrupted by Tim  
  
"What's that?" he asked sharply. He was pointing at Sett's sword. Sett glanced down at the sword tied to his belt and groaned. It was still smeared with goblin blood. In his haste to get up to meet Tim he had forgotten to wash it. He wondered vaguely whether he could move it out of Tim and Lillian's sight but it was pointless as they had already seen it.   
  
"This may seem like an obvious question, Sett," Lillian said finally "but why is your sword covered in blood"  
  
"It's my blood," Sett said. Even as he was speaking, he could imagine how stupid he must have looked saying it. "I had a bad accident. Bad night last night."  
  
"It must have been the most godforsaken, awful night in history if you lost that much blood" Tim said staring at the bloodstained blade.   
  
"Ok," said Sett "the blood came from a goblin." The two Lilties looked shocked. Occasionally a monster of some sort would wander into the village and attack but this was very rare and the few times it had happened had been the only times that Lillian and Tim had ever seen anything from the Miasma.  
  
"You fought a goblin?" Tim hissed excitedly "What was it like?  
  
"Messy." Sett said truthfully "To be honest, for a long time now I've been sneaking out at night to fight monsters.   
  
"That's really dangerous. Lillian whispered, in case anyone was listening "What if you had been hurt or if the Miasma had got you?"  
  
"I stayed inside the crystals influence." Sett said. Lillian often looked at things from a safety point of view. "And as for getting hurt, well…I did. Loads of times. But nothing serious."  
  
"You could have told me." Tim grumbled. Sett thought that Tim would see things that way. Fortunatly Lillian was with them "I…I mean Sett," he said, as Lillian turned to scowl at him "to say that…I'm glad…you didn't because you would have got me into trouble and I…" he trailed off into silence.  
  
"Well now that that's all sorted out," Lillian said "I can finally tell you both what I came here to tell you."  
  
"Which is…?"   
  
"I've volunteered you both to help prepare for the ceremony." She said smiling "Come on" and she lead them off. As the walked, Tim looked longingly towards the towns entrance. Sett leaned towards him and whispered so only Tim could hear.  
  
"Don't worry mate," he said. "We'll soon be free to slay all the monsters we want!"   
  
Well, hope you liked it. I'll put up the next chapter when I finish writing it (Of course I'll have to start it first) And also unlike my last fic, I haven't planned out whats going to happen. After all I haven't got very far on the game yet!  
  
One more thing If at any point I stop updating for a few weeks, it's because I've gone on holiday. Please review 


	2. Chapter 2: The ceremony

If you are reading this, then thank you for taking the time to read this story…. That's all I got!  
  
I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles etc  
  
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Chapter 2: The ceremony  
  
"…For we are all children of this earth," bellowed the elder "and it is thanks to these great crystals that we allowed to continue to live here…" Sett looked through the crowd at the elder. The ceremony had started. For a few hours he, Lillian and Tim had worked together to decorate the town centre with flags of tribal symbols, and different coloured banners and other such decorations. Afterwards, he had helped move several tables, so long, that it was a wonder that they fit in their designated area, though where that was going to be took a while to decide.   
  
To Sett's great annoyance, he had only been told to move these tables to the town centre and he was constantly yelled at by the old lilty in charge of the ceremony's arrangements for 'doing it wrong' Sett had never met this old Lilty before but he could clearly tell that he was one of the 'old fashioned,' in other words racist Lilties who still believed they were superior to all other tribes. Sett wouldn't have thought this way had it not been for the kind way he had shown Tim how to tie the ribbons or the way he screamed at the Yuke who had been carrying the opposite side of my table for letting it slip out of his hands and fall to the floor. Though it was impossible to tell a Yukes mood, mainly due to their ridiculous headgear the Yuke merely picked up the end of the table and continued as though he could not hear the yells that left a ringing in my ears. It was a good thing Yukes were so good at controlling their emotions. Anyone else would have smacked him!  
  
Eventually all the tables had been set up and Sett had slipped away for a few minutes so he could give his sword a proper wash he had never attended a ceremony such as this one before, let alone been a possible nominee, but he figured he would be on display at one point or another so he wanted to look his best.  
  
When he had returned the decorations were so close to completion that there was really nothing left to do. Some of the early arrivers were sitting on those godforsaken long tables so Sett figured he might as well join them. While he waited for the ceremony to start, he watched people arrive. Soon his family came and joined him.  
  
"Move over," his little brother said. Much louder than he needed to. Sett moved aside.  
  
"Its your big day." His mother said "I'm so proud of you. Sett felt like sighing but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. His mother had been saying the same thing at least twice a day for the last two weeks. Sett knew it was bothering her and it was probably why her vocabulary had become so limited. She couldn't seem to say anything else as it would make her feelings even more obvious. Or perhaps she wanted to make it clear to him how she felt in case he died. An unsettling thought to say the least!   
  
"You never know," Sett said awkwardly "I might not get picked." But this had clearly been a poor choice of words. The tear his mother had apparently been holding back burst from her eyes like a dam collapsing. Sett thought he could hear a muffled apology, but he couldn't be sure. His Father patted her on the back and then said  
  
"Don't worry boys, your mothers just feeling a little emotional." Sett looked at his brother who didn't seem to have noticed his mother's emotional outburst. He was playing with an insect he had found on the table. Sett turned back to his father who said. "Sett, once the ceremony's over. I want you to meet me back at the house. I have a surprise for you." That certainly got Sett's interest. It got his brother's as well  
  
"Why does Sett get a pre…" He started to say but his mother snapped at him to be quiet causing him to bang is fist on the table and squash his new friend. Sett chuckled, but so his brother couldn't see him. He didn't want to cause another problem. He often wondered why his brother wasn't compared to Selkies like he was. He seemed like the selfish one in the family, but perhaps all Clavats were like that at his age. Sett turned back to his father.  
  
"Listen Sett, whatever happens today or in the future," he said. "Please do remember that we are truly proud of you and what you are willing to do for Tipa.  
  
"Thanks dad." Sett said, but what he thought was "Not you too!"  
  
"You know something, Sett," his father said. "I remember when I was younger…" At that point Sett stopped listening. Anything his father said that started with 'when I was young' wasn't worth listening to. He looked around the tables. The crowd had become a lot bigger since his family had arrived. Sett looked around and saw Tim sitting with his parents and siblings. Tim caught his eye and waved. Sett's eyes scanned the crowd looking for Lillian and her family, but they were nowhere to be seen. They must have been seated in a corner somewhere.  
  
"Are you listening to me?" his father asked.  
  
"Course," Sett told him and his father continued to drone on. Sett had noticed the Selkie gang. They had chosen to sit together instead of with their families. They were all whispering excitedly and had their weapons with them like all the other hopefuls. Sett hadn't given much thought to whom else might be going other than himself, Tim and Lillian. Sett couldn't see the elder entrusting any of those boys with a mission as important as this, though on the other hand, it would get them out of the village.  
  
When everyone in the town had arrived, the ceremony started. There had been a fanfare and then the elder had started, what was due to be a very long-winded speech. Which he did standing on a large platform that had been built around the town's crystal. It was now fifteen minutes into the ceremony and the elder still hadn't finished. Sett wondered briefly if he was the only person still alive when suddenly, the elder finished. Those who had been on the verge of dozing off suddenly snapped to attention at the sound of the applause. No one wanted to miss the next part.  
  
"Thank you" the Elder said "It is now time for the unveiling of the first caravaner. But before I do, I must tell you all that I have chosen five brave young warriors to travel this land. As you all know, the maximum number of people any caravan will contain is eight. However I have decided, from my own experiences that it is unhealthy for so many people to be made to live so close together for so long." Sett thought he had a point. He would hate having to live so close to his brother for the best part of the next year. Who was to say the other people chosen would be any better. "I can now announce , that the first caravaner is…"  
  
In that moment, all the doubt, nerves and fear that should have been gnawing away at Sett every day leading up to this moment, suddenly hit him as though he had been knocked in the back of the head with a rock. If he was chosen he would be risking his life. Every day could soon be his last. Then there was the prospect of having to be stared at by the entire village if he was chosen. And if he was chosen first…  
  
"…SETT!" It took a few moments for Sett to realise that his name had been called. He hadn't moved and the people around him were looking in all directions trying to figure out who Sett was. "Come on up here Sett."   
  
Someone kicked Sett in the shin, causing him to jump upright. Sett was too preoccupied with everything else that was happening to care who it was but he later suspected that it had been his brother. As people realised he was standing, they started clapping again. Sett gulped deeply which seemed to bury his anxiousness for the moment and made his way to the stage. When he reached the stage the elder shook his hand and muttered,  
  
"Well done," He then ushered Sett to a space on his left where another long table had been set up. Sett was just calm enough to realise that this would be where he and the other caravaners would be eating. He supposed it would be for the best, this way he would be able to get to know his partners.  
  
"Congratulations Sett," The elder said loudly so the crowd could hear. "However, let us not focus all our praise on him as there are four more individuals who deserve some." The town's attention was focused once again on the elder, something Sett was very grateful for. "Our next young hero is…" It was odd, thought Sett, but the whole crowd seemed to hold their breath. "…Miss MISTIE"   
  
This was a name Sett had never heard before. Mistie must have been a Selkie though as there was a lit of commotion going on at the Selkie side of the room. Eventually a blonde female Selkie made her way to the platform. She looked very beautiful as all Selkie girls did and she looked a few years older and a few inches taller than Sett. She wore a short blue skirt and a tight white top, which didn't show her cleavage or stomach, which was rather unusual for Selkies. Mistie made her way to the platform, shook the elders hand as Sett did and then took her seat next to him. He had been hoping to save that seat for Tim but he had no objection to letting Mistie sit there (Who would!)  
  
"Hi," she said as she sat down. "My names Mistie."  
  
"I'm Sett," Sett replied. "Congratulations"  
  
"You too…" but they got no further. The elder was about to announce their next crewmember.  
  
"The next caravaner…is TIM." Sett gave a loud 'Whoo!' as Tim came to the platform.  
  
"Isn't that the guy your always sword fighting with?" asked Mistie. Sett nodded. He didn't need to ask how she knew. He and Tim were always sparring in the town centre and it was hard for passers by not to notice. Tim sat down next to Mistie. Sett introduced them briefly, then Tim asked,  
  
"Have you seen Lillian anywhere?" He seemed concerned.   
  
"No, why?"  
  
"I haven't seen her since we finished with the decorations."  
  
"She's bound to be around somewhere." Said Sett "I mean she wouldn't miss this would she?"  
  
"I suppose not." Tim muttered, but he didn't look convinced. He stopped talking and started scanning the crowd. Sett was glad they had ended their conversation then as not only was it very uncomfortable for Mistie to have two people talk through her, but also the Elder had started speaking again.  
  
"Our fourth caravaner is…MORGAN!" Another name Sett had not recognised.  
  
"Do you know who Morgan is?" he asked Mistie. She shook her head.   
  
"He's a Yuke." Tim said. He pointed to an area of the crowd where a tall Yuke was striding towards the platform. Sett could tell he was male by the bat-like wings coming from his back. He wore blue robes with yellow stars on and had two pointy ears…or perhaps they were horns coming from two holes in his helmet. Sett recognised him a the Yuke that had been screamed at by the racist Lilty earlier that day and wondered briefly what he must be thinking as he watched this. When Morgan arrived at their table, they all greeted him.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Tim said.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you also." Morgan said. He spoke in a very odd way. His voice was deep, formal and showed no emotion whatsoever. "It is comforting to know that you are not one of the self worshipping Lilties who consider themselves superior to all others."  
  
"Erm…thanks!" Tim replied, taken aback by the odd compliment. When Morgan wasn't watching, Tim looked at Sett and Mistie with raised eyebrows.  
  
"And our fifth caravaner…" The elder bellowed. "…is LEO."  
  
A very loud "YEEESSS!" was heard and everyone in the town centre turned to look at the speaker. Sett did not have the best view but he could tell that whoever had shouted was now dancing on his table. He had to be a Selkie and sure enough, when the crowd had parted, a very wild looking Selkie made his way to the platform. At first, Sett was relieved to see that the he was not one of the Selkie gang but he soon realised that Leo wasn't any better.   
  
This Selkie was unlike any Sett had ever seen. He was absolutely filthy. He had long blue hair, but there was so much brown muck in it, that it looked more like a dark purple. He wore an animal's skin and was barefoot. The people he walked past seemed to turn away, their eyes watering and as Leo approached, Sett understood why. There was a disgusting smell coming from him. When the elder held out his hand for Leo to shake it, Leo merely pushed the hand away and embraced him in a big hug. Sett felt a great deal of sympathy for the elder as Leo patted the elder roughly on the back. Sett couldn't think of anything worse than having to hug such a person.   
  
As Leo approached, Sett realised that the smell was mainly coming from the Selkies garments. The animal hide looked as though it had been killed fresh and hadn't been washed. Now it was starting to rot. Another thing Sett noticed was that Leo had no weapons. Ordinarily Selkies wielded rackets that were usually capable of unleashing psionic blasts like the one Mistie had with her but Leo carried nothing. Perhaps he had forgotten it. When he passed Mistie, he gave her a wink. Needless to say, Mistie wasn't the slightest bit interested in the foul smelling Selkie. And that was putting it mildly! Sett wondered if he had been too kind in his opinion of the Selkie tribe. This must have shown in his expression because Mistie then said   
  
"Not all of the males in our tribe are like that," she was still scowling at the Selkie who was waving his hand in front of Morgan's helmet. He knocked on the metal a few times and then took his seat. Morgan showed no sign that he had noticed. Leo put his bare feet up on the table. His soles were jet black. Mistie looked away disgusted. "I've heard about him, and he won't be a good travelling companion."  
  
"What have you heard?" Sett asked  
  
"Well…he has a lot of bad habits which he isn't afraid to show off. You know things like picking his nose and eating it. That sort of thing." Sett was strongly reminded of his little brother. "And now we have to spend the next year with him. Ugh!" Their food had just arrived. Leo had taken his feet off the table so that he could lean forward and eat. He grabbed a chicken leg with his dirt covered fingers and bit huge chunks off it so that it was impossible to chew with his mouth closed. He then lent back again so he could put his feet back on the table, and in his plate. It wasn't the most appetizing thing to watch.   
  
"Gross," Sett muttered, forcing himself to look away. "What do you think of him Tim?" Tim didn't answer. "Tim?…Hey Tim" Tim's head spun round. He looked angry and hurt. "What's wrong.?" Tim scowled at Sett.  
  
"How could they put that animal in our caravan!" he hissed angrily, but Sett got the impression that that wasn't what was bothering Tim.  
  
"Maybe he's a good fighter." Sett said. "Or maybe there was no one els…" Tim glared furiously at him and suddenly Sett realised what was wrong. There were five places available. He and Tim had filled two of those places.  
  
Sett and Tim were going. But Lillian wasn't.   
  
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Well I hope you are enjoying the story so far. If you are enjoying it then please take the time to review. And if you are REALLY enjoying it then please tell all your friends to read and send their reviews. AND if you REALLY REALLY enjoy my story then tell all your friends to tell their friends so they can read and review and basically we jus keep going until everyone in the world loves my story.  
  
Oh, and if you don't like it then I'm sorry for wasting your time.   
  
Just a reminder, If I stop updating for a few weeks its because I'm on holiday, NOT because I've abandoned all my fans…. Again. 


	3. Chapter 3: The caravanners

You lot are all lucky I have no life whatsoever; otherwise you can bet I wouldn't have time to add 3 chapters in 3 days. I mean seriously, am I devoted to this story or what… fine ignore me. You're just like all the others. Mom, my classmates, Satan (mutters darkly)  
  
I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles etc  
  
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Chapter 3: The caravaners  
  
At this point most of the crowd had received their meals and were chatting to each other. A few were still staring at Leo incredulously who, was still leaning back on the chair. He had a very smug look on his face and sat on his chair as though it were a throne. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to make small talk with Morgan, who was the only person at the table who had not looked disgusted by his smell or appearance. Though perhaps he hated it no less than the rest of us. It wasn't easy to tell with his large helmet on. Leo was the only person eating. He had finished his chicken leg and was now picking at the salad he had had his feet in. Sett wanted to believe he was trying to pick out the pieces his soles hadn't touched, but he found it unlikely.   
  
Mistie wasn't touching her food and Sett couldn't blame her. The smell of Leo's clothes/rotting carcass was still lingering in the air and it seemed to be having a very negative effect on her. She was quite green and looked as though she might throw up. Tim didn't seem to care about eating or the smell. He was stabbing his food viscously with his knife. He had started five minutes ago and his steak could now be mistaken for a portion of rice. Tim's thrusts now made scraping noises and Sett knew that if he carried on much longer, he would make a hole in the china plate. Morgan, he knew, simply wasn't hungry and he knew this because he had heard Leo ask him. The only difference was that the hadn't said he wasn't hungry, only that he 'did not require nourishment at this time.'   
  
As for himself, Sett did not feel very hungry either. On one hand was the fact that the excitement of day had left food seeming very unimportant when in a few days time they would all be setting out to gather Myrrh. Then there was the smell. No matter what, even if the sky collapsed and crushed the entire town, that dead rotting animal smell would still bother him. But neither of these things even compared to the revelation Tim had brought to his attention.   
  
Lillian would not be joining them. He couldn't believe it. Tim had often joked about Sett being too weak to be a caravaner. Part of his Liltian charm. However, none of them ever really doubted whether or not all three of them would be chosen. Sett knew that if he felt as bad as he did now, Tim must feel even worse. He and Lillian were so close, so close in fact, that Sett wouldn't be surprised if Tim decided not to come just for her sake. Sett looked across the table. Everyone seemed gloomy. Well, apart from Leo of course. He had finished his meal and was looking back at the stars.  
  
It was getting dark. Normally at times like this, Tim would try to cheer everyone up, but he wasn't in the best of moods. Sett didn't know how much more of this he could take If these were the people he would be travelling with, they would have to learn to get along. Someone needed to break the ice and it appeared that someone would have to be…  
  
"Bloody Hell, you lot could at least try looking more cheerful." Said Leo, he had gotten bored of the stars and had decided to try talking to people who didn't give the one-sentence answers Morgan gave. "I mean I thought you would all be going 'Yay, we're off to fight monsters and be heroes" He bit at one of his fingernails. "I'd use that 'any happier and a funeral'll break out' joke if it wasn't so bloody old." He grinned at them all. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he was causing most of the bad mood. Morgan remained as emotionless as always. Tim continued to vandalise his plate. Sett and Mistie however stared at Leo in disbelief. "What?" he asked "Don't have something in my teeth do I" he gave a big smile. His teeth were very yellow and brown.  
  
"You have several things in your teeth." Sett replied. He could even swear one of them was moving!  
  
"Low and behold, the Clavat speaks!" shouted Leo gleefully. "Thank god, I was beginning to think I'd be sharing a Caravan with a load of mutes!" Sett wondered for a moment if he had judged this Selkie too quickly. He didn't feel like forgiving him for replacing Lillian just yet but he seemed cheerful enough. Leo turned to look at Mistie. "What about you babe? You know how to speak?" Mistie just scowled at him. "Aww, now come on," Leo pouted, "If you don't speak you won't be able tell me about how I'm such a disgusting pig and I know you'll want to do that a lot once you've given it a try." Mistie looked towards the crowd and then said,  
  
"All right, I think you are the ugliest, smelliest most god awfully grotesque creature on the entire continent." Leo smiled happily.   
  
"Thanks babe, I like you too!" he said  
  
"You know, while I'm talking, you mind if I ask you something?" Mistie said coldly. If Leo had been attempting to lighten her mood, he had obviously failed. Leo sighed thoughtfully.  
  
"Sorry babe," he said finally. "I'm not that kind of guy."  
  
"Why the hell are you wearing that animal corpse?" Leo looked down at his clothes.  
  
"What's wrong with them?" he asked. The weirdest thing about the way he said this was that there was no humour or sarcasm in his voice. It had been a genuine question. He looked at his clothes again seeing nothing amiss. Mistie didn't seem to know how to begin.  
  
"Th…They've still got bits of flesh on them…There are flies buzzing around your head…You… You…" She struggled with the millions of reasons she had.  
  
"They stink." Sett said, trying to help the now exasperated Mistie. Leo looked puzzled as though this was news to him. He sniffed the air around him. "Seriously, you can't expect us to let you wear that if it means we're going to have to start breathing toxic fumes." Mistie nodded, but Leo looked mutinous.  
  
"I've always worn the skins of monsters that I've hunted and killed myself." He grumbled. "Who are any of you to stop me?"  
  
"I might point out," Morgan said in his one-tone voice. "That your unsanitary garments greatly increase the risk of infection. It would be wise for you wear something that would not jeopardise our health. Undoubtedly we shall all be receiving many cuts and bruises.  
  
"All right, all right." Leo muttered. "No need to get all logical on me," he looked back at Mistie "You win this round, babe."  
  
"Yeah, that's not my name." She said coldly  
  
"I know, but I'm used to it now. Anything else would just sound weird so I think I'll just keep calling you babe so we're all happy." Mistie was about to argue when Leo said. "The rest of you had all better tell me what to call you before I think of names for you too."  
  
"Morgan will be sufficient." Morgan said  
  
"Sett" said Sett.  
  
"Tim," said Tim  
  
"As for me," Leo said, "Whilst we're travelling, you may refer to me as Leo, or hey ugly."  
  
He looked at a large wart on the palm of his left hand and began to gnaw on it. He then turned to Tim, who had finally stopped mutilating his plate. "I might as well tell you now Timmy," he said. "I've never trusted your kind. Too much ego."  
  
"Oh really?" Tim replied "Well I might as well tell you, that I don't trust people who chew their warts...ugly" Leo laughed   
  
"I think we're going to get along fine." He said. Sett had to admit Leo wasn't one of the worst Selkie's he'd ever met even if he looked like it. Of course being at the end of the table, he was furthest away from Leo so he may have missed some bad habits that would have changed his mind.  
  
"I have to go." Tim said suddenly. He got up.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sett asked, "The ceremony's not finished."  
  
"Don't care." Tim said. "I'll see you later." He walked off swiftly.  
  
"Oh no you don't, I'm coming with you." And with that, Sett got up off his chair and ran after Tim, leaving the others looking bewildered. Leo sniffed his clothes.   
  
"I don't smell that bad do I?"  
  
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"You mind telling me where we're going?" Sett asked. He and Tim hadn't gone very far. Every time he tried to catch up to walk next to Tim, Tim ran forward hoping he would take the hint and leave. However, Sett was far too stubborn for that.  
  
"I'M looking for the elder or Lillian. Whoever I find first. YOU can go back to the table.  
  
"Look Tim, I know you're upset." Sett said. "And you have every right to be, but this can wait I mean your angry and you can't just go shouting at the elder." Tim stopped and spun round.  
  
"Oh, that's easy for you to say. You've hated Lillian from the moment you met. Everything's gone perfectly for you. No more Lil to get between me and Tim…"  
  
"You know perfectly well that that's not true." Sett said, starting to get angry himself.  
  
"Well, you know what I think?" Tim said back. "I don't think it was ever between Lil and Leo at all. I bet it was between you and Lil."  
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"You heard" Tim said spitefully "I bet it was between you and her, and you thought your showing off with the goblin would push you forward."  
  
"Now you're just being ridiculous"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Tim and Sett nearly jumped out of their skins. Standing behind them was the elder. Sett had never seen him look so furious before. "Timothy you must stop jumping to such ridiculous conclusions. If you wish to know where miss Lillian is, then she is with her family. However I have no intention of telling you where that is until you come to your senses." Tim cursed at the elder. Sett was shocked. He had lived in Tipa his whole life and never heard anyone be so abusive to the old man. The elder, however took no notice. "I believe you have some questions only I can answer." He said. "Perhaps you should begin there."  
  
"All right then," Tim said, breathing heavily. "Why wasn't Lillian chosen?" The elder sighed and thought for a moment.  
  
"Normally, would never see any reason as to why I should have to answer such a question. However, I can see your anger does not need a catalyst. Very well. You were half right in your theory of Leo not being a replacement. There was never any question as to whether he would be going. This is because he has a vast amount of experience when it comes to battling. More so than either you. The same could be said for Morgan. As for why Lillian was not chosen, well that reason was simple. Although had a tough time deciding between her and one other caravaner, two days ago, the reason why she should not be chosen presented itself to me. This reason was that she did not want to go."  
  
"What," Tim said in disbelief "You can't have known that."  
  
"I'm afraid I can, you see on this day, Miss Lillian came to me and asked me not to pick her for the Myrrh's collection."  
  
"But… why?" The elder came closer to Tim and patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.   
  
"Lillian has many other priorities. Her family have been going through some rough times and their farm's business may collapse if it were understaffed any further. Lillian did not tell you of any of these things, which was probably not an intelligent thing to do but she never wanted to see you upset. This was why she did not want to attend the ceremony."  
  
"I want to see her." Tim said quietly. "Please tell me where she is." The elder nodded and whispered something in Tim's ear. Tim then walked off to find Lillian, leaving Sett and the elder alone.  
  
"Do you think I should go with him?" Sett asked.   
  
"No," the elder replied. "Tim needs to make his peace with Lillian before leaving. No good can come from your attendance. Do not worry, In the morning he will feel great remorse for what he said and will undoubtedly offer a full apology" Sett supposed he was right, but there was something Tim had said that was bothering him.  
  
"Elder," he said, "Who was the person who might not have been picked if it weren't for Lillian's backing out?" The elder looked thoughtfully at Sett.  
  
"Such a thing I cannot tell you." He said, "It would be unfair to the person you refer to. No good can come of your knowing. However, I can assure you that neither you, nor Tim were that person." Sett smiled with relief. "Now, I suggest you return to your home and get into bed."  
  
"Shouldn't I go back to the ceremony?"  
  
"No, if you did you would only face answering many questions you do not wish to answer. It would be best to wait until morning, when those questions will be forgotten. However, as elder, it is my duty to attend the ceremony until its end so I must now say goodnight." Sett bid the elder a good evening and watched the elder walk back to the town centre. The elder had told him to go home, but he didn't feel tired yet. He looked up at the stars and he suddenly realised how much he was going to miss this town. He stood there for a long time looking up at the stars and remembering all the good memories he had of this town. After a while he heard someone speak to him.  
  
"Have you been here the whole time?" It was Mistie. Sett looked round.  
  
"Is the ceremony over already?" he asked.  
  
"No but I needed to leave so I could give you something." And before Sett could even look puzzled, she slapped him!  
  
"What was that for?" yelled Sett indignantly.  
  
"For leaving me with Morgan and the swamp monster. You ever tried having to talk to them alone? Its an unpleasant experience."   
  
"Why don't you go slap them then?" grumbled Sett, rubbing his cheek. If that had been an affectionate slap, it had been a very hard one.  
  
"Because Morgan probably wouldn't notice and I'd rather have my head dunked in a cow pat than touch Leo." She shuddered slightly at the thought. "What was wrong with Tim?" she asked.  
  
"He's just upset because his girlfriend Lillian wasn't chosen." Said Sett, he's normally more cheerful.  
  
"Well that's a relief," Mistie sighed. "Anyway, I better go before they start looking for us. I could probably use an early night. After all, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Sett nodded and they both set off in opposite directions. "Hey, Sett," she called back to him. Sett turned round. "Pity Lillian wasn't picked instead of Leo. Would have done us all a favour." She grinned and continued walking. Sett did the same. Something had just occurred to him. The elder had told him that Leo was too experienced to not be a caravaner. He had said the same about Morgan. He had also assured Sett that his and Tim's position had never been in question. That just left Mistie. Sett wondered briefly if he should tell her about this but then thought better of it. The best move was to act like he had never figured it out. After all, the Elder had said that no good could come from his knowing.  
  
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Ok, I know this fic doesn't exactly have an army of fans but if there are those of you out there who are following this story then this time I am defiantly going on holiday and you wont see any updates for two weeks.   
  
It would also be nice to have a tiny bit of recognition when I get back, not that I'm trying to imply anything COUGH review COUGH   
  
See you all in 2 weeks ;) 


	4. Chapter 4: The departure

Ah, I'm back! Bout time too. I'll never understand why I had to take eight different flights to get to South Africa and back. If my grammar's off in any way it's probably because of jetlag or whatever you call it when you've been travelling for 30 odd hours without sleep. (Am I the only person in the world who can't fall asleep on a plane or something?!) But regardless, I'm now back in my beloved United Kingdom.  
  
Well that's enough about my hideously uncomfortable flight for now. Back to the story. I'm glad to see I got a few more reviews. (I'm still waiting for you to tell your friend's friends!) One of which made me think I should probably point out that when I described all the major characters, I based pretty much their entire appearance on one of the four appearance options for each race and gender. In case I wasn't clear enough before, Sett is a natural Clavat male. Tim is a Steel visor Lilty male. Lillian is a red mask Lilty female. Morgan is a Black Mage Yuke male. Mistie is a Raccoon Tail Selkie female. I'll forgive anyone who didn't know Leo's appearance because with the whole 'dead animal' thing he was the only original but I based most of him on the Wolfie Selkie male. Ok, next chapter.   
  
Oh, and if you didn't understand a word of that, you need to look at the FFCC manual page 37…well in the English version.   
  
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Chapter 4: The departure.  
  
Sett wasn't sure whether or not he had fallen asleep, but he was pretty sure he hadn't. For one thing, he was sure the evening's excitement wouldn't have permitted him to lose consciousness that night, unless of course something heavy were to have hit him in the back of the head when he wasn't expecting it. Another reason was that Sett was a fairly heavy sleeper and if he had been asleep, he would not have been woken by the sound of his family entering the house.   
  
He had done exactly as the Elder had advised and gone to bed. Half hurt by Tim's outburst and half anxious about the voyage he would be beginning the next day, he had decided that his feelings could be dealt with in the morning. When Sett heard noises coming from downstairs, his eyes snapped open and he became fully aware of his surroundings. He strained his ears in an attempt to identify the intruders but stopped when he realised it was probably just his family coming back from the ceremony.  
  
Sett shut his eyes again and gave a smug grin, pleased with himself for reacting so swiftly. He heard someone come upstairs and approach his door. There was a pause, then, whoever it was, opened it slowly until it was wide open. Sett opened one eye. He couldn't see the figure as he was facing the wrong way but he could see their shadow reflected on the wall. The figure looked a little taller than Sett and he assumed it was his father.   
  
Looking closer however, Sett noticed that the shadow was carrying something long and pointy. It looked a bit like a knife. Sett blinked. No, it was too long to be a knife. It looked more like a sword. Whoever was holding the blade took a step towards Sett, causing their shadow to move out of his view. Sett had begun to panic now. Who could this be? Then he realised. The intruders must be the Selkie gang. Were they trying to kill him? The idea seemed ludicrous. The Selkie gang were thugs, no doubt about it but surely they wouldn't stoop to murder. Why would they? Did they perhaps think that by killing him they would have another shot at becoming a caravanner? Perhaps they were just bitter that Sett had been picked over them. Whatever the reason was, Sett suddenly stopped thinking about it. The gang member was now standing over him. Sett could feel the warmth of their breath. If he wanted to make a move he would have to do it now.   
  
Quick as a flash, Sett rolled onto his other side and kicked his attacker in the stomach. The surprised Selkie doubled over wheezing and before he could even look up, Sett smashed his fist into the man's jaw. Sett thought he heard a crack be he couldn't be sure whether the sound had come from the man's face or his fist. His attacker was knocked to the ground, groaning in pain. Sett stood over him triumphantly. He had forgotten about the others downstairs. Right now he was just happy to have proven himself. The last time he had tussled with these punks, he had come off worse but once the odds were fair, they were just weak, small people that liked playing with long sharp toys.  
  
Sett suddenly snapped to his senses as he heard people come up the stairs. He had no time to hide and had forgotten about the racket he had just made. Two more outlines stood in the doorway, but Sett could tell straightaway who they belonged to.  
  
"Sett…" came the shocked voice of his mother "what… are…you… DOING!" She seemed absolutely appalled. Sett's little brother was staring mouth open at the figure on the floor who was in the process of getting up. Sett looked back at him. The colour drained out of Sett's face faster than any chameleon could have managed. Now that the Selkie had entered the light, Sett could see that he wasn't a member of the gang, or even a Selkie for that matter.He had been right the first time. Sett was staring into the furious looking face of his father.   
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Not a word had been said, unless you counted Sett brother bursting into a fit of laughter as soon as he realised what had happened. His mother had lead him to bed whilst Sett's father had lead Sett downstairs. Sett wanted to say sorry but he knew that as soon as he said it his father would round on him. Of course he probably deserved it. His father got a large, cold slab of meat from the kitchen and placed it over his jaw. He stared at Sett. He was breathing heavily and looked livid. Sett knew that he was about to explode. It was a look Sett had seen on him many times before.   
  
"Well?" said his father, "What do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
"I'm sorry." Sett replied. What else could he say? Sett braced himself. His father breathed heavily, and then said something Sett could never have expected.   
  
"Sett sometimes you can be a complete imbecile… but I'm not angry." Sett wondered whether he had heard properly. His father was normally fairly easy going but if Sett put a toe out of line his father would come down on him like a ton of bricks and what he had done wasn't exactly minor.  
  
"Your… not?" Sett said, wondering if this was some kind of trick.  
  
"Believe me Sett, normally I would be furious. However you leave tomorrow and I don't want us to part on bad terms." He rubbed his mouth. "Besides, it hurts to talk." His father smiled, but Sett didn't feel much better. He was half hoping his father would change his mind and start yelling. This weird aura of…forgiveness didn't suit him!  
  
"Dad," Sett said, "I really am sorry. I thought you were someone about to attack me." His father frowned in a puzzled way.  
  
"What on earth gave you that idea?" Sett looked away. Now that he was fully awake, he felt even more stupid about jumping to such a ridiculous conclusion.   
  
"You had a sword…" Sett paused. He was wondering whether he'd been wrong about that too. "…well it looked like a sword's shadow."  
  
"Great scott!" his father exclaimed standing up suddenly. "I've left it in your room." And with that, he hurried upstairs leaving Sett feeling confused. A moment later, he returned. Sett was relieved to see he had been right about something. His father was carrying a sword, but it wasn't just any sword. It was the most beautiful sword Sett had ever seen. It had a jagged black edge and the handle was made from a material which felt like a cross between rubber and leather. "Like it?" his father asked "I got it from Alfitaria a few weeks ago."  
  
"It must have cost a fortune." Sett said, looking at it in awe.  
  
"It certainly did, so I hope your grateful." He handed Sett the sword. Sett looked at his reflection in the blade. "And don't even think of refusing cause we want you back in one piece." Refusing this fabulous gift hadn't even crossed Sett's mind.  
  
"Is…this why you wanted to see me earlier." Sett said. He couldn't think of anything else to say. His father nodded.   
  
"It's the best one we could afford." He said. "But you better not go showing off in front of your brother because we'll never hear the end of it and we'll have to give him your old one. Lord knows he's dangerous enough without it!"  
  
"Thanks dad." Sett said. He certainly wouldn't have believed anyone if they had told him a few minutes ago what was about to happen. Few a few seconds, neither of them said anything. "Well I better go to bed." His father nodded. Sett made his way upstairs.  
  
"One more thing," His dad called to him. "I don't want you running away with the idea that you can just hit me and get presents all the time. Because the next time you try it, I might fight back." Sett laughed and hurried back to his room. On the way he passed his brother. He took one look at the sword in Sett's hand and said,   
  
"Where did you get that?" Sett sighed and told him to stay where he was. He hurried to his room and picked up his old weapon. Then came back and gave it to his brother.   
  
"Happy birthday you miserable little runt" Sett said. His brother grasped the old sword excitedly (he had forgotten about the new one.) and ran to show his parents. Sett yawned and went back to his own room to try, once again, to get some sleep.  
  
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Sett admired his reflection. He had his new sword and sheath attached to his belt and his shield on his back. He ruffled his hair, grinned and looked into the river again. He normally couldn't give a damn about his appearance but this was the first time he had been completely equipped, not just with sword and shield, but armour, provisions and basically everything he would be taking with him into the world when he set off. He felt weighed down, but very protected in the armour. He wasn't the most agile of people anyway and he knew, in battle, he would prefer to block a blow than have to pull off some Selkie style back flip to avoid it.  
  
It was early morning and Sett had come to collect water from the stream. That had been ten minutes ago.   
  
"I suppose I've been here long enough" Sett thought. He picked up the bucket and turned round. "Tim?"  
  
He had just noticed his friend standing several meters away. Tim seemed surprised.  
  
"Oh… hi Sett, I didn't see you there." He said, though Sett had a feeling that Tim had been standing there for a while. They walked closer to each other so they were face to face. There was an awkward pause.  
  
"I'm sorry." Tim said suddenly. He seemed to want to break the silence more than anything.  
  
"S'okay," Sett replied.  
  
"I was just upset and I know I shouldn't have taken it out on you but…"  
  
"Seriously Tim, it's all right, I understand." Sett said. He grinned at Tim and Tim smiled back. "So…" Sett said. "How's Lil?"  
  
"Upset." Tim replied, "she feels horrible, as though she's let me…well all of us down or something. I wish she'd told me about her family's problems earlier." Sett didn't feel comfortable talking about Lillians family.  
  
"How long did you talk with her?" He asked trying to discretely change the subject.  
  
"Pretty much all night." Tim said in a slightly distracted way. "We went back to her house after a while and…" he suddenly seemed to become aware of what he was saying. "…talked."   
  
"One last romantic evening before you two part eh?" Sett said slyly. Tim scowled at him.  
  
"Oh shut up, 'least I have a girlfriend." They both laughed, the previous night forgotten. " So, what did you do? Go to bed?"  
  
"Actually, I beat up my dad and got a new sword." Tim snorted. He thought Sett was joking. Sett gave a very false stretch, which thrust the sword on his belt in Tim's direction. It knocked Tim in the head, who turned and saw it. He gasped.  
  
"Holy…" he began but couldn't seem to finish.  
  
"Like it?" Sett said proudly. "It has a solid steel blade and you see how the edges are darker? That's because it has a denser concentration there, which makes it able to cut through pretty much anything. The handle is made out of mahogany…"  
  
"Mahogany?" Tim asked suspiciously, looking at the rubbery handle.  
  
"Ok fine, I don't know the first thing about it, but it looks pretty doesn't it?" Sett said admiring the blade.  
  
"And you got this because… you beat up your dad?"  
  
"More like 'in spite of' that."   
  
"Lucky git!" Tim sighed. "So, got any tips for taking on monsters?" Sett thought for a moment.  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes." He cleared his throat, and spoke as though he was reading from a very informative book. "If ever you come across a small, furry, rodent with brownish blonde hair, kill it immediately because when those wretched creatures bite, it hurts!" Sett showed Tim his hand which had a nasty looking scar on it. Tim frowned.  
  
"You told me you fell over." He said.  
  
"And like an idiot, you believed me!" The pair laughed again and strode off  
  
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That afternoon was the time. The time when Sett, Morgan, Tim, Leo and Mistie would leave Tipa to collect Myrrh. Sett had bumped into a few of his partners that day. They were all saying goodbye to their friends and family.  
  
He saw Mistie in the morning, who was with her family. It turned out that all the Selkies who were hugging Mistie when her name was chosen were her brothers and sisters. Mistie was the youngest of over fifteen children. When she saw Sett, she called him over and introduced him to all of them. She pointed to each of them and told him his or her name. By the end of it, Sett couldn't remember any of them. Not even the mother or father.  
  
"I'm also meeting Leo later." She had told Sett "To make sure he buys new clothes." She said quickly as Sett's eyes widened with surprise and suspicion. "Could you please come too?" Remembering what had happened last time Sett had left Mistie with Leo, he agreed.   
  
They had met Leo later. He was in a bad mood. Not only did he have to give up his beloved animal skins, but now Mistie had foiled the last chance he would have to be alone with her for a long time.   
  
"Your just lucky your hot, babe." He had said. "Otherwise I'd have lost interest a long time ago."  
  
"We haven't known each other 24 hours," Mistie had replied "and it does NOT make me lucky!" Leo seemed to feel that getting rid of his old clothes was a personal insult. He tried to make out that the prices were too high to bother with but Mistie had thought of this. She had asked all her siblings to chip in so that Leo would have no choice but to buy new clothes.  
  
Shortly after, a grumbling Leo was wearing a nice blue Selkie outfit. Sett had picked it out, hoping it would cheer Leo up a bit since it was also made from animals but Leo had told him that it didn't feel the same having not known the creature when it was alive.  
  
It was now the afternoon. The caravan had been set up with supplies and money for emergency, though they each had their own individual cash. The whole town was there to say goodbye to the new caravanners, who were saying one last goodbye to their family, except for Leo who didn't seem to have one, though he didn't look in any way bothered.  
  
Sett said goodbye to his quickly because he also wanted to see Lillian. He hadn't spoken to her since they had helped with the ceremony.  
  
"Hi Lillian," he said. Lillian smiled and said  
  
"Hello Sett." She paused and then said. "Please make sure Tim doesn't get hurt out there."  
  
"Course I will." Sett said. "I'll see you round." He turned round and headed to the caravan to join the others who had finished so no one from town would be able to see the tear in his eye. When all the caravanners were ready, they took their positions around the caravan. Tim and Sett stood on either side of the caravan. Mistie and Morgan sat next to each other, hanging out the back of the caravan so they could see the village. Leo had climbed on top of the caravan and was waving to the crowd. As they started moving, all the caravanners joined Leo and waved back except for Sett. He stared straight ahead. The sun had started to set. Sett looked at the track they were following. Wherever they were headed, this was where the adventure really began.  
  
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Groan… So… Tired. I work too damn hard. I haven't stopped for more than a minutes break since starting this chapter so I hope you're all bloody grateful. I've been desperate to put up a new chapter ever since getting home. Please PLEASE send me some more reviews, even if you've already done it once. I need to know my hard work is getting some kind of recognition. Guess a plotline, ANYTHING!  
  
Now if you all don't mind, I think I'll fall asleep at my desk. Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z I don't own Final Fantasy crystal chronicles Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z etc. 


	5. Chapter 5: The journey

Hello everyone. Perhaps no one heard me when I said 'I'm back' and 'please review'… perhaps I'm just a failure (sob)   
  
Seriously though, I'm beginning to think that there's no point in continuing this story. Very few people seem to care and I'd like to emphasise just how much effort I'm putting into this. Since I can't type very fast, it takes me about 4 hours to write each chapter. (5 for this one) and don't even get me started on the way my computer always freezes. You cant say I'm not putting the effort in because I've posted a chapter a day. (Apart from when I went on holiday)   
  
Anyway I know that if you DID click here, it wasn't to listen to me bitch so here's my next instalment. This chapter had really built on the characters you don't know that well (especially Leo)  
  
I don't own FFCC etc  
  
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Chapter 5: The journey  
  
The Caravan had been on the move for about two weeks now and everyone seemed to have gotten used to its way of life. They all had to stay within range of the chalice, which meant that they couldn't be more than ten meters away from each other when they were on the road. This had become a major irritation for all of them except Morgan, who as always showed no emotion whatsoever. They took it in turns to walk outside with the papaopamus and this also gave them a bit of room for the others.  
  
However, the trip could have been a lot worse. Leo's smelly old clothes had been burnt (Mistie had made sure of that!) and he didn't smell nearly as bad as he could have. Unfortunately they all soon realised that this didn't make Leo any easier to live with. As Mistie had warned Sett at the ceremony, Leo kept doing horrible things, such as rolling onto his back so he could bite off his toenail, which he then spat onto the floor of the caravan. He farted and belched quite frequently and wiped his tongue on the caravan walls if he thought something was on it. To everyone's disappointment, the animal skins weren't the only odours that came from Leo. They were only the strongest. Leo very rarely showered or washed in any way, giving him a very strong body odour. It wasn't nearly as noticeable as the animal carcasses had been but in such a confined space it wasn't any better.  
  
Ironically, although Leo caused most of the worst problems about living in the caravan, he also seemed to have the hardest time coping. Everyone, especially Mistie, was constantly nagging him. He often volunteered to walk outside so he could get away from then and always made out as though they were overreacting.   
  
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When they had first set out, Sett and Tim had kept slightly apart from the others, as old friends do when they're forced into a new group. However they soon became a threesome as they got to know Mistie better. Mistie had become a good replacement for Lillian. She was mature, kind and was even quite skilled at casting the cure spells, which would have made Lillian useful. She often talked about her brothers and sisters who had inspired her to learn to fight.  
  
"When you're the youngest of twenty one," she said, "you need to know how to make yourself heard."  
  
"Twenty one?" Sett said, surprised, "I only counted seventeen."  
  
"Some of them live in places other than Tipa." She said. "We might run into them sometime."  
  
"If you were interested in learning to fight, you should have introduced yourself sooner." Tim said. "My dad taught us and he used to work for the Alfitarian army." Mistie looked thoughtful.  
  
"I did actually wonder about asking if I could join you." She said. "I saw you two fighting all the time. But one of my older brothers told me you were troublemakers so I decided not to."  
  
"Oh really?" Sett said, now interested "Who is your brother?"   
  
"He goes around with his friends and likes to steal things. He said you," she nodded at Sett, "attacked them once." Sett snorted and Tim muttered something that sounded like 'Selkie gang.' Mistie smiled. "Is that what you call them then. I don't know why I believed him in the first place. I never liked him that much anyway."  
  
Mistie was also having a hard time coping in the caravan. She was the only person that refused to let Leo go unpunished for some of the smaller things he did. Like the occasional burp. She always had one eye on him, waiting to hit the roof if he put one toe out of line, which he did very often. She had told Sett that if she kept doing this, then eventually he would stop. However Sett knew that this was having the opposite effect because Leo had told him that when it was just Mistie yelling at him, it made him feel like they were a married couple! Sett hadn't the heart to tell her this.  
  
Morgan wasn't very good company but he had a lot of uses. He would normally sit at the side of the caravan and only talk if he were asked a question. You could say whatever you wanted about him and he wouldn't notice. Sett didn't know how useful in battle he'd be. He was very slow moving.   
  
On the other hand though, Morgan seemed to be a fountain of knowledge. He seemed to know the answer to any question he was asked, no matter how trivial it was. He knew about places, dates and just about anyone ever written about. He seemed to have a map of the world carved into the back of his brain. It took great focus to use magic, which was why Sett and Tim had never bothered with it, but Sett was sure that Morgan could pull off any kind of spell with ease.  
  
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One day on the road, Mistie had pointed outside and said, "What's that?" Sett stopped the papaopamus and they went to investigate. It was the small rodent creature Sett had told Tim about. Lilty patrols kept the highway free from monsters but this one must have made eluded them. It was the first creature they had come across.  
  
"Wow," Mistie said, eyes wide "It's so cute."  
  
"A Mu," Morgan said in his trademark, one-tone voice. "Not particularly dangerous but can be an irritation all the same. Able to burrow under ground. I would advise not getting too close." But Mistie either didn't hear him or didn't care.  
  
"Come here little guy," she said sweetly. "We won't hurt you." The Mu looked at her outstretched hand and without warning, ran straight at her. Sett knew what was coming. The creature would sink its teeth into Mistie's hand and retreat back to its original position, ready for another charge. Sett had once made the same mistake Mistie was making. The creature was about to strike when suddenly Leo sprang into action. With surprising speed, he leapt forward and stamped on the creature with his bare foot. Killing it instantly. Mistie stared angrily at him. "What the hell did you do that for!?" she shouted.  
  
"Your welcome!" Leo said sarcastically. "That thing was about to bite your hand off."  
  
"You don't know that." Mistie said. Leo laughed  
  
"I most certainly do. Those Mu's will bite anything if it stands still long enough." Leo told her. Mistie took a deep breath so she'd be ready to go into another shouting fit. Morgan stepped forward.  
  
"If I might interrupt," he said. Mistie stared angrily at him. She hated people cutting in when she was about to start shouting at someone. Morgan continued regardless. "I am afraid that this is one of the few instances where Leo is correct." Leo grunted. "None of the creatures that reside in the Miasma can be tamed or domesticated. There have been many attempts to reach mutual understandings with some of the more intelligent species but there are no records of a successful one. I see no reason why you would be the first."  
  
"But…" Mistie began  
  
"The reason for this," Morgan continued, "is because while the Miasma would eventually kill us four, it has had a different affect on our worlds native animals. Many researchers believe that the Miasma drove these animals to insanity and while they recognise other infected creatures, they are driven to attack beings that aren't." There was a stunned silence. "Moogles are the exception to this. No one truly knows why but it is my guess that their superior intelligence allows their bodies natural defences to fight off the Miasma's effects." There was another long pause. Leo rubbed his forehead.  
  
"How the bloody hell can you remember all that!" He said incredulously.  
  
"Quite simply." Morgan answered, "Though I cannot say I am surprised by the fact that you cannot." He said this with no trace of arrogance. Mistie sighed.  
  
"Fine," she said, "Monsters aren't pets. I get it. Can we get going now?" They all made their way back to the caravan. Sett overheard Leo mutter to Morgan.   
  
"How do you get her to stop so quickly?" he whispered.  
  
"I merely let the realisation of her own naivety dwell on her until she is overwhelmed by it." Morgan said, not bothering to speak quietly. Mistie heard and swung round angrily. Leo grinned innocently back at her.  
  
"There is a fork in the road up ahead." Tim yelled to them from the caravan. He was looking at the map and was probably trying to diffuse the problem before it begun again. "Which way should we go? Left or right?" Without even glancing at the map, Morgan said,  
  
"The Left path will eventually lead to a Miasma stream." Morgan said.  
  
"What's a Miasma stream?" Sett asked.   
  
"A good place to go if you want to throw up whatever you ate last." Leo grunted.  
  
"An obstacle," Morgan answered. "We will need to cross it to gain access to the next land. However, I suggest we travel right as it leads to the River Belle Path. I believe there is a Myrrh tree located there."   
  
"Lets get moving then." Tim said, rolling up the map. They set off again, Mistie walked with the papaopamus. Leo took a seat next to Sett. Something about the way Leo had tackled the Mu had reminded Sett of a question he wanted to ask him.  
  
"Leo," he said, "why didn't you bring any weapons?" Leo stuck his finger up one of his nostrils and then blew out of his nose. A large glob of snot flew out of his open nostril and landed on Leo's lap. He didn't wipe it off.  
  
"Don't believe in 'em." He answered.  
  
"What!?" Tim exclaimed. "How can you not use weapons? What do you do if you have to take on something really big?"  
  
"I kill it!" Leo said, as though it had been a stupid question. Sett laughed.  
  
"You couldn't." he said.   
  
"I can and have." Leo said proudly.  
  
"You've never even used one of those rackets like Mistie's?"   
  
"I wouldn't even spit on one!" he said. "Anything you hit at long range is just a cheap shot!" Sett had learnt a lot about Leo during the first few weeks travelling. He hated anything that lived in Miasma, except Moogles, apparently his whole family had been killed by monsters.  
  
"Never liked them that much anyway." He said after telling them this. Hit didn't seem to bother him at all. "But its happened to much better people than my family so someone's got to do something."   
  
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Sett also found out one day why Leo washed very rarely. They were very close to the fork when Leo, who was driving, took a turn down a dirt track off the side of the main road. Sett had been walking beside the caravan at the time.  
  
"Oi," he yelled to Leo "what are you doing?"  
  
"Taking a detour." Leo yelled back.  
  
"We must continue and stay on the main track." Morgan told Leo. The rest of the caravanners had realised Leo had taken the turn.  
  
"I know," Leo said. "I just need a shower, that's all." Tim Mistie and Sett stared at Leo.  
  
"Be that as it may…" Morgan begun.  
  
"MORGAN WOULD YOU JUST LET HIM DRIVE!!" Screeched Mistie. Everyone now started staring at her. Even Morgan looked surprised. They drove on until reaching a large cliff with many waterfalls pouring off it.   
  
"Nice place," Tim said looking round.  
  
"Yeah," Sett agreed "But where are the showers?" Leo grinned at him and got off the caravan. He made his way to the waterfalls and then started taking off his clothes. That was when Sett understood. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Fraid not." Leo said.  
  
"It's got to be freezing!" Mistie said, horrified.  
  
"It is," Leo said, "Now you know why I don't care to bathe very often." Leo stripped until he was bare, (Mistie went red and looked away) and jumped into one of the bigger waterfalls. Sett winced. He couldn't see Leo properly any more, just a blurred shape. From the noise of the waterfall, he heard Leo shout. "The waters lovely!" Leo stuck his head out of the wall of water so they could see him. "Come on babe, get yer kit off!" Mistie scowled at him as she had done so many times before. Then she took the drivers seat on the caravan. For a moment, Sett thought she was planning to drive off without him but then he realised that she was positioning the caravan to block the view of one of the waterfalls.  
  
"You're not seriously going to take a shower here?" Tim asked her. Mistie shrugged.   
  
"We may not get a chance to wash for a while." She said. She took off a band in her hair. "Now get your backsides on that side of the caravan and if I catch any of you anywhere near here, Ill take the caravan and leave you all for the miasma!" She sounded serious so Sett, Tim and Morgan headed to there side. Sett looked at one of the waterfalls.   
  
"Well," he muttered, "while we're here." He began to get undressed too.   
  
"You can't be serious!" Tim yelled when he saw what Sett was doing. Sett continued to take off his clothes. Tim cursed to himself and, not wanting to look weak, took off his visor for the first time since leaving. When he was ready, Sett tested the water with his toe.  
  
"Here goes," he said. He dipped his toe in. The water was absolutely freezing. Sett yelped and jumped back. "How can you stand it!" he yelled to Leo.  
  
"Don't be such a baby," he yelled back. Sett looked into the waterfall, then, as though he was attacking a fierce enemy, he let out a war cry and jumped into the water. The scream he issued after that was far louder.   
  
"Oh lord, this is torture!" he whimpered.  
  
"It certainly is." Leo yelled back "But you guys wanted me to take a shower so badly so you've only brought it in yourself!" Sett then heard a shriek. It sounded as though Mistie was in her shower too. "All right babe?" Leo called to her. Mistie shouted back something very foul. "That's my girl," Leo laughed. Sett then heard another person curse. Tim was in too.   
  
"Bracing isn't it?" Sett called to him.  
  
"Bloody murder more like!" Tim shouted back. "Do you have some personal law against hot water?" he yelled to Leo  
  
"Nope, but the natural water's good enough for the animals of the world and I don't want any special treatment." Eventually they were all shivering in their towels, except for Morgan who hadn't joined them. "Lovely," Leo said.  
  
"You're a bastard." They heard Mistie say from her side. Leo grinned and talked quietly so she couldn't hear.   
  
"She likes me," he said, grinning, "They always play hard to get when they like me!"  
  
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As weird as Leo's bathing habits were Sett actually discovered something weirder about him the following night. Everyone was sleeping except him. He was on guard duty. Tim would be taking over in a few hours. Sett was getting sleepy though.   
  
Suddenly, Sett snapped to his senses. He had heard something in the bushes. He drew his sword.  
  
"Who's there?" he shouted fiercely. "Show yourself or I'll cut you down where you stand."  
  
"I'd like to see you try!" came a voice and Leo appeared. Sett sheathed his sword.  
  
"You're a moron Leo," he said. "What if I hadn't given a warning and just attacked?"  
  
"I would have had to kick your ass." Leo grinned. "But I doubt you would have gone as far into the Miasma as this." Sett looked at where Leo was standing.  
  
"Where have you been?" he asked.  
  
"Taking a stroll," Leo replied. Sett looked back as t caravan and again where Leo was standing.  
  
"Leo…" he said slowly "Your… standing in the miasma!" Miasma gas would eventually kill anyone who stood in it for too long. Just putting a finger through a crystal's boundary, was nearly as painful as dipping it into scalding water. Leo smiled at Sett.  
  
"Noooo!" he replied sarcastically "Ya think?" Sett could actually see that his skin had turned a nasty red colour.  
  
"You do realise that you'll die if you stay there for much longer." Sett said, laughing slightly at him.  
  
"I'll have you know that I have a good two and a half minutes before I start to lose consciousness!" Leo said, as though it was a good argument.  
  
"Don't you think now would be a good time to come a little closer to the chalice then?"  
  
"Gimmie a few minutes." Leo replied, as though he was reading a book he wanted to finish. Sett stared at him for a few seconds.  
  
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're standing there?" Leo sighed thoughtfully.  
  
"You ever wonder why we can die from miasma?" he said. Sett shrugged. "Well, I'm damned if I know. You don't need to be Morgan to know how many people have tried to invent a potion to reverse the effects." He looked up at Sett "Course I have my own cure."  
  
"Really?" Sett said, looking doubtfully at Leo's burning skin.  
  
"Well it's more of a long term therapy treatment." Leo said. "Every week, I spend about fifteen minutes in the miasma, take it's blows and keep coming back for more. Eventually, I think I'll be able to walk through it freely." Sett burst out laughing.  
  
"You're insane." He chuckled "You really think you can beat the miasma?"  
  
"Why not?" Leo asked, looking a little offended. "It can be engaged, it can be defeated." Leo must have decided he'd been there for long enough because he came into the chalice's range.  
  
"Uh huh?" Sett said, dubiously wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. "So how long have you been doing this?" Leo frowned, thinking hard.  
  
"Well, I remember starting around November when I was fourteen so that's about five years now." Sett's jaw dropped.  
  
"Have you made any progress?" he asked. Leo sighed again.   
  
"Not really," he said, "It burns my skin as badly as it did when I started."  
  
"Five years and no progress?" Sett said disbelievingly, "Have you ever heard of the phrase 'banging your head against a brick wall'?" Leo grinned at him.  
  
"I have," he said, "But I once managed to break a brick wall with my head!" And with that, he went to bet to prepare for the next day's travelling.  
  
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This is the longest, and my favourite chapter so far. I really wanted to rush to get to some battles but I decided to give the characters a bit more … well, character. I'll try and fit some fighting and action into the next chapter to satisfy all you action fans out there.  
  
Please review, I know I'm being whiny and that FFCC doesn't have as many fans as Zelda but I really like hearing what people think of my fic's. It's all the reward we authors get.   
  
Talk to ya next chapter  
  
SSBM Masta (I think the 'a' looks cooler than the 'er') 


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